Supernatural: You did your thing, dawg

You spent the music money on Louboutins? What’s a Louboutin? Is that a kind of cheese?

THEN: Sam and Dean have some rebuilding to do. Oh, boys …

NOW

Two guys walk into a bar garage. Cal and Dr. Carson Beckett briefly contemplate a shrouded automobile. With a flourish, Cal pulls off the cover to reveal John Mellencamp. Beckett screams and runs away like a little girl reacts with stunned and delighted appreciation. He can’t believe he found it – James Dean’s Porsche. The car he died in. Cal slowly eases himself into the driver’s seat and caresses the steering wheel. He was waiting for Beckett before starting her up. The doc decides they need a camera to record the moment for posterity’s sake. He heads back into the house, and Cal breathes out a sigh of satisfaction. His breath clouds in the air, and the radio suddenly switches on to WDIE!!! From the other room, Beckett hears the sound of squealing tires and a loud impact. He walks back into the garage, camcorder running. It captures the image of a very dead Cal, his forehead imbedded in the car’s windshield. The skin on his cheek is wrinkled up in a perverse grimacing grin. It is bloody, and horrible, and AWESOME!!! Kudos to the makeup team. Well done! Slow clap.

In another car, the boys motor down a lonely highway. You know, once – just once – I’d like to see the opening exposition take place while sitting in a 10-mile back up on a major interstate. Sam agrees that a guy suffering a head on collision in a parked car is worth checking out, but wouldn’t their energies be better served looking for the Colt? They’ve been on the hunt for three weeks with no success – and thank the gods all that happened off screen. With the “don’t question me” tone in his voice, Dean snaps “This is what we’re doing. End of discussion.” He gets a frustrated b-face in reply. His tone softens, as he tries to explain that he wants to ease into things, now that they’re hunting together again. “Put the training wheels back on.” Sam bristles at this, taking it personally, but Dean emphasizes the ‘WE’ in his statement. This is a team effort. He wants this to be a fresh start – for both of them. That seems good enough for Sam for now … but there’s trouble written on his brow.

As they zoom off into the night, there is it. “Special Guest Star: PARIS HILTON.”

Morning, Canton, Ohio. Sheriff Rick Carnegie, meet Agents Bonham and Copeland. He tells them they came all the way for nothing. He shows them Beckett’s tape, and declares it an open and shut case. As for the pesky detail of how the good doctor slammed Cal’s head into the windshield with the force of an 80 mile-per-hour crash he has one simple answer. Gangs. PCP. Drugs. The boys ask to speak to Beckett anyway.

They interview him in his cell, and he swears it was the car that killed Cal, not him. Specifically, it was the John Mellencamp curse. At the mention of the heartland rocker, Dean’s face lights up like Christmas morning. “Oh, we are definitely checking this out.” I love it when Dean geeks out.

They head over to Cal’s garage, and Dean circles the car with an air of worship, careful not to touch it. He fills Sam in on a version of the legend. This isn’t Christine, this is real. “Death follows this car around like exhaust. Nobody touches it comes away in one piece.” Dean is certain that if the car really is John Mellencamp, then it killed Cal. Of course the only way to know for sure is to check the engine number. Which is on the engine. A short time later, and they’ve got the Porsche up on jacks. They consider the car, and Dean looks like he wants to pass out or throw up or both. Sam offers to do it, but no. Dean is good. Ever the gentleman, he starts off with a little sweet talk, “Okay, baby. I’m not going to hurt you. So [gulp] don’t hurt me.” I realize it was extenuating circumstances, but I don’t appreciate him calling another car “Baby.” Just saying. He lays down on one of those roly mechanic bed thingies, takes a deep breath, and scoots under the car. From Dean’s slightly panicked POV the car seems to rattle and shake. Sam suddenly breaks – or heightens – the tension by offering a flashlight. In a strained whisper, Dean tells him not to do anything. Don’t speak, don’t even look at her. “She might not like it.” He lets out a breath and tries to control his racing heart before finally making a rubbing of the engine block. Numbers acquired, he rolls to safety and jumps to his feet like a man who just dodged a bullet. Sam eyebrows a look that says, “Was this drama really necessary, drama queen?” Dean hands him the slip of paper, and tells him to compile a list of all previous owners going back to 1955. Have a good afternoon.

Seriously, seriously Show, you have got to do an episode where Metallicar comes to life. Please?

Dean meanwhile retires to the Green Dragon Tavern where he flirts shamelessly with the bartender. Sam calls with an update, and is miffed that Dean is at a bar while he’s been working his aspirations off. Dean clarifies that he’s in a restaurant – that happens to have a bar – but he earned it. He spent the afternoon up Christine’s skirt. Actually, he didn’t. “That Porsche is not, nor has it ever been, James Dean’s car. It’s a fake John Mellencamp.” So what killed Cal?

Evening, and yet another victim is about to meet an untimely death .. at the hands of Abraham Lincoln. Snarling, with teeth bared, our nation’s 16th president grabs the man by the throat and hoists him off his feet. A shot rings out and blood splatters the wall.

The boys arrive to find the Sheriff still on scene and the CSIs doing their thing. He says there’s nothing strange about the murder, once you look at the facts – which Sam helpfully supplies. “William Hill died from a gunshot wound to the head. No gun. No gunpowder. No bullet.” Carnegie insists there has to be a reasonable explanation. There always is. His theory? “Professional killer. CIA. NSA. One of them trained assassins, like in Michael Clayton.” Hey, who doesn’t love Clooney? He tells them they’re welcome to talk to the witness, but she’s not making any sense.

They find Mr. Hill’s distraught housekeeper, Consuela, sitting outside with a deputy. From my Sesame Street level Spanish, it sounds like she’s saying she wants to go home to her family in El Salvador. She’s pretty rattled. She’s too upset to give her statement in English, so Sam digs deep into the memory banks to break out the high school Spanish. The man she saw was very tall, with a long back coat, and beard. “En sombrero.” Dean thinks he was actually wearing a sombrero. Hee. Sam clarifies that she means regular hat, not a ‘hands place out widely on either side of his head in approximation of the traditional mariachi style hat’ hat. She quickly corrects him. The tall man was wearing a tall hat. Dean thinks she means a top hat, but she places her hand far above her own head. “You mean like a stove-pipe hat? Oh yeah, like Abraham Lincoln.” I swear, Dean paid attention at the most random times when he was in school. At the mention of the name, Consuelo gives a tearful, ‘yes’. El Presidente Lincoln killed Mr. Hill.

At the Night Owl Motel the boys sit across from each other tapping away on their respective laptops. It’s adorable. Sam appears to be a Mac, while Dean is a PC. No wonder they bicker so much. And here I thought it was bad enough that one is a Trekker and one is a Warser. I’m also mildly obsessed by their desktop wallpaper. Dean’s looks like it could be an album cover. I think I saw a skull. Moving on. Dean is reviewing Beckett’s video, and a fleeting detail catches his eye. The reflection of a figure in a red jacket. “Am I crazy, or does that look like James Dean?” Sam agrees that it does. They do some good old fashioned bouncing ideas and lore off each other – Yay! Bouncing! – before coming to the conclusion that they have two super famous, super angry ghosts who are killing their super fans. But why Canton? What’s the connection? A little more research, and Sam comes up with an answer … to the Canton Wax Museum, away!

The boys interview the very chipper museum director, under the guise of writing a piece for Travel magazine. He confirms that the victims were regular visitors, and then Dean does his awkward questioning thing. He compliments the Lincoln exhibit for being so lifelike. You can just imagine him moving around … “You ever see anything like that?” Oh, Dean. Velvety smooth. Sam quickly covers, asking the director if there’s anything that makes the museum unusual … you know, for the article. He proudly lists off the number of genuine artifacts they have in the collection, including Abe’s hat, James Dean’s key chain, and Gandhi’s glasses. Riiiight. Because your museum just happens to have 1.8 million dollars lying around. Also, the Smithsonian and Abraham Lincoln Museum both called and said, “Shenanigans!” He then shows them a piece near and dear to him – Fonzie’s leather jacket, Seasons 2-4. Which he is wearing. Ayyyye! He goes on to tell them he’s been working on a new collection of figures, “stuff that will really ‘wow’ the kids.” He’s going to make wax museums hip again! He punctuates his statement with two big thumbs up. He gets an awkward thumbs up from Sam in reply, and a big grin from Dean. Dean hearts this guy. File him away in the same category as people who say “okie-dokie.”

They return to the hotel … I’m not sure why. Sam makes sure the trunk is squared away, and walks back into the room, where he overhears Dean on the phone. He seems to be updating Bobby on the case, and providing some vague, out of context color commentary. “Why so kill crazy? Maybe the Apocalypse has got them all hot and bothered. Yeah well, we all know whose fault that is. Well I’m sorry, but it’s true.” Sam slams the door, announcing his presence. He has no way of knowing what Bobby said, but he’s certain the comments were directed at him. Are they going to pretend he didn’t just hear what was said? “This was supposed to be a fresh start, Dean.” Dean blows him off, saying it’s about as fresh as it gets, before walking out of the room. A frustrated Sam lets out a heavy breath, and follows his brother.

They enter the darkened museum, and while Sam grabs a metal wastebasket, Dean tries on Abe’s hat. He’s kind of adorable. Sam is not amused. Dean doesn’t understand why he can’t have any fun with this job. I take this little moment, combined with the previous scene, as an indication that Dean’s emotions are still yo-yoing all over the place. That’s not going to lead to a big dust up later. He goes to retrieve “East of Eden‘s keychain,” leaving Sam alone to examine Lincoln’s statue. By examine, I mean lean in until he’s almost nose-to-nose with the thing, and you’re sure it’s going to spring to life at any moment. Good thing it didn’t, because then my friend G would have upset her cupcakes all over the floor. Cupcake down! Cupcake down! Also, we already know from the promos Lincoln isn’t the one who attacks Sam. Suddenly Gandhi leaps onto Sam’s back. Fight fight fight, and that’s one relentless little pacifist. Dean bursts back into the room, stunned by what he sees. “Is that Gandhi? Dude, he’s squirrelly.” You’re not wrong. The way he crab hops around Sam makes me laugh every time I watch it. As The Father of the Nation slowly chokes the life out of Sam, he manages to gasp out “GLASSES!” Dean quickly tosses them into the bin with Abe’s hat, and lights them up. Gandhi evaporates. With the evil thus vanquished, Dean has time to pick on his little brother. “You couldn’t have been a fan of someone cool? Really? Gandhi?”

Return to the motel where Dean is packing up. Job finished … although Sam’s not so sure. He thinks it’s a little strange the way Gandhi just vanished. It wasn’t the typical salt and burn. There was no screaming, no flameout. He mentions one other unusual element – Gandhi tried to take a bite out of him. Like he was hungry. Or just a particularly crazed Sam Girl. Jared is yummy. Not only is that atypical for a ghost, but it would be out of character for the real man as well. “He was a fruitarian.” Dean files this away with clowns and magicians in the “things I will torment my brother about endlessly to the end of his days” folder. Sam just wants Dean to consider the possibility that it’s not over, but as far as he’s concerned, he torched it, it disappeared, they’re done. “You ain’t steering this boat. Let’s go: chop chop.” To Dean’s edict, Sam calmly states “this isn’t going to work.” They snit at each other over who called who back in, before Sam asks how long he’s going to be on double-secret probation. He knows what he did and he’s trying to climb out of the hole he dug for himself, but Dean isn’t making it any easier. He doesn’t expect a free pass, but he does need Dean to meet him half way. If they’re going to be a team, “it has to be a two-way street.” Dean still thinks Sam wants him to forget everything that happened, and rewind to how things were. That’s not what Sam is saying at all, because “before didn’t work.” They were never on equal footing. And then Sam drops the bomb. “One of the reasons I went off with Ruby … was to get away from you.” While it hurts Sam to admit it, Dean is gob smacked. Kicked in the chest gob smacked. He’s not quite sure he heard that right. Sam continues: “It made me feel strong. Like I wasn’t your kid brother.” If they’re going to make a fresh start, they have to do things differently. “We can’t just fall into the same rut.” Step 1 is Dean letting Sam grow up. Before they can move on to Step 3 (profits!), Dean’s phone rings. Looks like Sam was right after all.

The boys suit up and return to the Sheriff’s office. Carnegie is speechless, and directs them to two teen girls sitting in the interview room. They tearfully report on the kidnapping of their friend … by Paris Hilton. It’s the boys’ turn to goggle in disbelief. After confirming that the heiress is still alive (as far as they know), and ruling out the possibility that she’s a homicidal maniac, they go back to the case file to figure out what they missed. And by case file, I mean Sam somehow manages to con his way into the medical examiner’s office where he performs an autopsy on the original victim!! How much Discovery Channel do you watch, Stretch? How? What? Who? Oh, I think I need to go have a lie down … When I come back, Sam has shoved his hand into the body cavity (with much squelching and squishing) and extracted two small peach pits. He gives the bloody hunks of goo a “What the … ?” but how did he know what he was looking for if he doesn’t know what it is? What? Is that how they do it on CSI? Just root around until they find something that feels like evidence? *sigh* Mommy needs a drink …

Sam rejoins Dean outside to share his “ah-ha” moment. The amount of blood lost by the victims is far more than you would expect to find in a car crash or shooting. Dean reads this to mean something was feeding on them. Sam pulls out the peach pits, which he declares to be seeds … but unlike any seed he’s ever seen before! Because before Sam declared pre-law, he was a botany student. And there I go again, demanding accuracy from my urban fantasy.

After some more fancy Internet research, Sam declares “Yahtzee!” He ID’s the seeds as coming from a forest in the Balkans, specifically one that was cut down 30 years ago. Local legend tells of a pagan god, Leshi, who guarded the forest. He was mischievous, could take on many forms, and could be appeased only with the blood of his worshipers. After feeding, it would stuff the stomachs of its victims with seeds. Dean briefly muses on how Leshi is managing to affect its various transformations before moving on to the much more important question. How do they kill it? Simple enough – Wikipedia says you chop of its head with an iron ax. “Alright then. Let’s go gank ourselves a Paris Hilton.”

The boys make their final trip to the wax museum, and enter a section closed for renovation. They find the missing girl tied to a fake tree. Sam barely has time to check on her condition before the ax is mojo’d out of Dean’s hand, and they both get a beat down from a bejeweled, party frock clad Paris Hilton. That’s not hot. The boys come to also tied to trees. Paris files her nails (while they’re dragging the lake). It will be nice to do the ritual properly for a change. A nice, slow meal. They have no idea what it was like for her before. “People adored me. They used to throw themselves at me with smiles on their faces.” Sadly, no one cares about the old gods anymore, “not since they cut down my forest and built a Yugo plant.” She spent years wandering, living off scraps, but now that the Apocalypse is on, there’s no reason for her to play it safe. The wax museum is perfect – “adoring fans stroll right in the door.” They might not be worshipping her per se, but she’ll take what she can get. Dean reminds us that Leshi isn’t the first god they’ve met, but that she is the nuttiest. I don’t know. What was up with those sweaters the Bad Santa gods were wearing? Leshi thinks we’re the ones who are crazy. Once we worshipped gods, and now we follow every move of every two-bit D-list reality star with slavish devotion. “What have they got besides small dogs and spray tans?” Dean points out to her that he’s not an US Weekly reader, and she can’t eat him. “See, I’m not a Paris Hilton BFF. I’ve never even seen House of Wax.” Sam is all like, “Hey, hey, hey! That movie’s not so bad. I understand that young up and comer Jared Padalecki turned in a fine performance. Nothing at all to be ashamed of.” Leshi can be whoever she needs to be though, and she can read Dean’s mind. She knows who his hero is. “One distant father figure coming right up.” For one brief shining moment I actually thought we were going to get a JDM appearance, but alas. No. *sigh* Instead, Dean breaks free of his bonds, and tackles Leshi before she can transform. She tries to beat the pretteh off of him before Sam finally pulls himself loose and grabs the ax. With a few well-placed chops he hacks Paris Hilton’s head from her body. YEAH! He turns to check on Dean, and his blood covered face lights up with glee. “Dude. You just got wailed on by Paris Hilton!” Hee.

The case finally wrapped up, the boys take their leave of Canton. They load up the gear, and Dean reveals that he’s been doing some thinking. Maybe Sam was right. Maybe he is keeping too tight a leash on him. He acknowledges that he’s played his own part in the Apocalypse, and that they’ve been used as pawns by both sides. Neither of them saw what was coming. “The point is, I was so worried about watching your every move that I didn’t see what it was actually doing to you. So for that I’m sorry.” As for where they go next, Sam sees only one option. “We can stop wringing our hands over [being vessels and pawns]. We gotta just grab on to whatever’s in front of us, kick its aspirations, and go down fighting. But we’re going to have to do it on the same level.” Dean can get on board with that. They regard each other a long moment, and then Dean makes an offer I saw coming from a mile away but that is still sweet, and heart breaking, and made of awesome. He turns back to Sam and holds out his hand.

“You want to drive?”

I know! Sam can’t really believe it either. If you’re keeping score at home, it appears that the Impala’s keys are on a keychain made out of a 308 Winchester round. Dean tries to play it off, saying he could use a nap. Sam recognizes the gesture for what it is, the clearest way Dean has of saying that he really is on board. As a big ol’ funky, chunktastic version of “Superstition” by Jeff Beck kicks in on the soundtrack, Sam accepts the keys without a word, and they pull out of the parking lot …

.. and into a fantastic SOON preview. It looks like there are snippets from two, possibly three upcoming episodes. I’m guessing the spin through the dial is Trickster induced, and is made of win based on the Knight Rider homage alone. Although I think ash4897 should ask for a credit on that one.

So, first things first. Paris Hilton certainly could have been worse. She did an adequate job with the material she was given, and I’m glad they limited her on-screen time. Now back to Mr. Chow’s with you!

Forget about the Colt and the Apocalypse, I think a big part of this season is going to center on the boys finally breaking free of the patterns that have trapped them their whole lives. I think Dean really did have a breakthrough while Sam was gone, finally realizing his own worth independent of the family. When Sam is on his own, he’s shown that he can be his own person and make good decisions. When they’re together though, they do tend to revert back to the same old roles – Dean holds on too tight and Sam chafes, automatically pulling in the opposite direction. Even though the writing was a little uneven, for me this episode played out like a highlight reel of moments in the boys’ relationship. You could insert that opening scene in any past season simply by replacing the word “Colt” with “Dad,” “YED,” or “Lilith.” They seem to be in this ongoing state of testing and retesting how they fit together. There’s a constant push-pull of who’s going to set the agenda and the pace. The first dust up over Dean’s call to Bobby harkens back to Season 2, and confrontations immediately after John’s death. Sam needs desperately to talk things out, while Dean burrows down into himself and just focuses on the job.

Jensen often gets the showier moments, but kudos to Jared here. Nice work from him in the big confrontation scene. Sam did some soul searching while he was away, and it showed. He’s able to express his needs in a straightforward way, admitting and owning his mistakes, but showing he wants to find a new way forward. There’s no anger, just a statement; This is what I need from you. It’s a nice call back and play on the dynamics of Season 3. Then, Sam needed Dean to “just be his brother again.” In part that was a plea to let him in, and let him help carry the burden of the deal. But by the time he says it in “Fresh Blood,” he’s scared. It’s the expression of a selfish need – albeit born of fear – for Dean to step back into his usual role and take the lead. But even security blankets can become stifling. Here, Sam is saying he wants to be on equal footing with Dean; however, the writing fails to convey whether or not Sam really understands what that means. He can’t let Dean be in charge when it suits, and then turn around and complain when it doesn’t. The statement about letting him grow up is also pretty nebulous. What does that mean exactly? That Dean has to let go? Or does it mean that he has to trust that Sam really has learned from his mistakes?

Bringing Ruby into the conversation was a clunky misstep, because it’s hard to read that line without thinking he’s blaming Dean. I wish they could have found a better way to convey Sam’s desire to be his own man without taking such a huge swipe at Dean.

Now, I’ve seen some discussion on the Interwebs about whether or not Sam has apologized enough – or for the right things – and if Dean has rolled over and apologized too much. So let’s review what’s actually been said.

In “Sympathy for the Devil,” Sam tries three times to apologize, and each time Dean tries to strangle those words in the crib. He’s just not ready to deal with it. He even tells Sam to stop bringing it up. There’s no point putting it under the microscope. Once Dean starts venting in the parking lot, he acknowledges Sam’s remorse, but also admits that there’s nothing he can do or say to fix things.

In “Good God Y’all,” Dean tries to shut him down again. Sam soldiers on (good job) and validates Dean’s feelings of mistrust while taking responsibility for his actions. He acknowledges that Dean’s job is bigger than him, and that he can’t be his brother’s focus anymore. He apologizes again, and it can be read as recognizing the burden of duty that Dean has born all these years.

I think “The End” and “Fallen Idols” show that Sam knows he has to move past words and atone through his actions. He says he wants to prove to Dean that he can do the job and won’t let him down. He’ll prove he’s got his back again.

Granted, Sam hasn’t addressed specific wrongs. It’s all been pretty blanket. For instance, Sam hasn’t apologized for trying to kill Dean. Although that doesn’t seem to be at the heart of it for Dean. It’s the feelings of abandonment and betrayal. And maybe Sam had tried so many times to kill his brother that the apology is just taken as read.

Dean has apologized for two fairly specific things – in “The End” for not letting Sam back in, and in “Fallen Idols” … yeah, I’m not entirely sure what that was about. It could be taken as a broad brush mea culpa for smothering Sam. I don’t think we can forget though that Dean has seen a future he wants to prevent, and the only way to do that is to repair things with Sam. He’s seen how far they both have to fall, and he’s willing to be the bigger man if he has to.

And ultimately, here’s the thing. In real life, you never get the apology you think you’re due. You can be bitter about it, or you find a way to move on that makes sense for you. Sam has a lot to apologize for, and maybe Dean did let him back in too soon. But there are some relationships that are all or nothing. If Dean is going to take Sam back, it can’t be just so he can beat him up. He has to take the leap of faith because it’s the only way to save them both.